


Even if I'm the last standing

by fangirlingbooknerd



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: and misses her mom, during 1x09, im on my third rewatch of the show someone send help, julie centric, just a girl who loves her three himbo bandmates, mentions of flynn and the rest of the molina family, no relationships in this fic, stand tall, this is kinda angsty but it has a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:47:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26632342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirlingbooknerd/pseuds/fangirlingbooknerd
Summary: In a rewatch of the show, I noticed Julie says that “Stand Tall” is the song that she and her mom were working on before she died. Now I can’t stop thinking about Julie playing that song by herself when she thought she had lost three more people she cared about.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 123





	Even if I'm the last standing

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first JATP fic so please be nice :) sorry this is so short!

The dahlia told her all that she needed to know. A random stranger just HAPPENED to be walking down a back alley carrying a bunch of dahlias? No way. This was a sign from her mom, and honoring her became more important than ever. Her mom had been excited about “Stand Tall” before it was even finished; Julie knew that her mom would love this final version that she did with Luke. 

It didn’t matter that Luke (and the rest of the boys) weren’t here. Okay, no, of course it mattered, but she wasn’t going to back down now. This performance was already dedicated to her mom. Now it will be dedicated to her and three more people she loved, all of them taken from her before she was ready. There’s no way her mom could’ve known that “even if I’m the last standing, imma stand tall” would end up applying so perfectly, so cruelly, but here we are. The best thing she could do for her mom, for Luke, for Alex, for Reggie, was to play their songs, to honor them, to give them a legacy to be proud of. 

Surprising herself with how ready she felt, she ran past Flynn, heading for the stage. It was now or never. She took to the stage, finding her family in the audience smiling back at her. Though they didn’t understand the true depth to her mourning, they would certainly feel the connection to her mom with this performance. 

They’re too far away to see clearly, but she swears she sees something soften on all their faces when she places the dahlia on her keyboard. The speech she gives before performing is hard. She lost three boys that she loved while she was still grieving her mom. But she just tried hard to remember what Flynn said about signs and what she learned about Luke and his desire for a legacy. 

She knew she should’ve been absolutely terrified to play the Orpheum (by herself no less!) but she swore that she felt both her mom and the boys. It was as if all of their strength and love has somehow transferred into her. She took a deep breath and sang, “Don’t blink, no I don’t wanna miss it. One thing, and it’s back to the beginning.” Her voice was strong, just as strong as when she was playing with the guys. She was used to starting alone anyway; this wasn’t anything new for her. 

She made her way through pre-chorus still by herself, but her heart started breaking. This would be her first chorus without them in so long. But she could do this. She had to. “Whatever happens, even if I’m the last standing, imma stand tall, imma stand tall!” There were no better lyrics for this moment. “I gotta keep on dreaming, cause I gotta catch that feeling!” That line hurt, but she wouldn’t let herself show it. That line was pure Luke. 

She powered through the chorus, proud, and then she heard it. Alex drumming. She had never been so happy to hear a sound ever in her life. If he was here, the other two would be soon to follow. They weren’t with Caleb, they didn’t run out of time. They were gonna be here and they were gonna cross over; they were gonna get to talk to her mom. 

Reggie appeared, and Julie smiled wider. All that was missing was Luke. Where was he? He cared more about the band, about music, than the other two, so why was he not here? This should’ve been his moment! When he appeared, all seemed right in the world, but then he was gone again. Something was wrong, he was flickering in and out, in and out. 

But Luke was never one to miss a cue. “I’m going out of my mind,” he belted, finally becoming part of the performance. Julie grinned and ran over his side of the stage. This might be the last performance for Julie and the Phantoms, for Sunset Curve. But Julie knew that it was going to be their best one ever. 


End file.
